


Eighteen Thousand

by betheflame



Series: Steve Tony Games: Flame's Fluff Fills [18]
Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:54:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25404943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/betheflame/pseuds/betheflame
Summary: Steve and Bucky fight zombies, but all Steve can think about is how he was too late to tell Tony that he loved him.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: Steve Tony Games: Flame's Fluff Fills [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1781239
Comments: 16
Kudos: 117
Collections: Team Fluff





	Eighteen Thousand

**Author's Note:**

> A Steve Tony Games Team Fluff fill for "Hallucinations"  
> Apocalypse AU + I Remember + Fall Backwards, I'll Catch You + You Gave Me a Home + Enemies to Lovers  
> Universe: Marvel Zombies
> 
> Thanks to Jeh for the pompoming and for letting me take this last universe. You're a wonder, fluffwifey.
> 
> (if the warnings are confusing, head to the end for a quick note)

* * *

All he could hear was the breathing. The open mouth breathing that was more like rasping and was the soundtrack of his nightmares since the virus took hold of everything. He wasn’t sure why he didn’t get turned like nearly everyone else, but he assumed it was the serum, because Bucky hadn’t either.

Tony had.

That was the hardest, Tony’s turning. They’d hated each other for so long that when the hatred had worn off into friendship, it slid quickly into love for Steve. He’d been hopelessly in love with the genius for years and had never gotten the chance to tell him. He’d wept the night he had to put a bullet through Thing-That-Had-Been-Tony’s head, because Steve knew that Tony would want that.

_“I love him, and it ain’t past tense,” Steve said through tears to Bucky later that night._

_“I know, pal, I remember how you’ve been looking at him for a while now,” Bucky said. “You look at him like… I know, pal, and I’m sorry.”_

_Steve blinked a few times to clear the tears. “You knew?”_

_Bucky snorted. “Jerk, I’ve known you since we was how high? Of course I knew.”_

Bucky called the creatures zombies and they probably were that. Their flesh rotted off them as they walked and they looked like everything out of the comic books he traded back and forth with Peter in The Before.

But then the Hunger had shown up from who the hell knows where and released a virus which changed everything.

He and Buck were on the run, hiding out in various Hydra or Shield abandoned safe houses as either of their brains would allow memories to surface as they headed for Wakanda. T’Challa had gotten word to them that Shuri was working on a vaccine and she needed their blood to synthesize it. The pair hadn’t hesitated before they set out.

But now they were in Mombasa at a shack by the sea and some of the creatures had caught their scent. He was in a loft type thing and Bucky was below him and all he had to do was jump to…

“Stevie,” Bucky hissed, “just fall backwards. I’ll catch you and we won’t have to worry about the serum taking the time to heal the broken back. Just fuckin’ fall backwards.”

Steve nodded down and let his body go.

And it went.

And it went.

And it went.

And then he was very cold and definitely not in Mombasa and not in Bucky’s arms and definitely…

“Tony?” He rasped. _Why is my voice hoarse?_

Tony’s eyes were filled with tears. “There you are, Capsicle. Thought we lost you forever.”

“Why does my throat hurt?”

“You’ve been screaming for a few days,” a voice said from over his shoulder. _Bruce_ , his brain placed. _But Tony and Bruce are dead._

“I don’t know where your brain has been,” Tony said, “but right now you’re in the Tower and you’re safe and whatever you think has been happening, hasn’t been.”

“You’re not dead,” Steve breathed. “You’re not… I had to shoot you, but you’re here.”

“You shot me? Well, that’s quite a shift in our relationship,” Tony said and Steve noticed that he kept watching a monitor just above Steve’s head.

“You were a zombie. What are you looking at?”

“A zombie,” Tony said, deadpan. “Like a workshop binge zombie or a _Walking Dead_ zombie?”

“Latter,” Steve said and Tony’s eyes locked onto his. “What are you looking at?”

“You got hit with something that didn’t affect the rest of us,” Tony replied, “and you’ve been hallucinating for about a week now. Bruce and Cho figured out how to clean your blood of it and so I’m watching the dialysis machine readouts to make sure you’re fully back to us. So I turned into a zombie, huh? Rude. Pretty shitty way to go.”

“I shot you because I love you,” Steve said and regretted it immediately.

“You…” Tony paused. “I don’t understand.”

“Well,” Steve grinned weakly. “There’s a phrase I never thought I’d hear.”

“It’s a day for miracles, it seems,” Tony said, his voice a bit strangled. “What do you mean you shot me because you love me.”

“I love you,” Steve said, making sure his voice was firm. “I’ve never told you before because I know you don’t feel the same way and I haven’t wanted to make anything awkward for the team, but I love you and when I saw them turn you into someone who couldn’t use your brain, I knew you’d want me to make sure you couldn’t hurt anyone else, no matter how much it hurt me to do it. So I shot you because I love you but it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done and then I realized living without you was harder and -”

He was cut off with Tony’s mouth firmly pressed to his. He felt Tony’s teeth nip a little at his bottom lip and he gasped. Soon, Tony was climbing into the hospital bed and straddling Steve and Steve could hear Bruce say, _“he’s on fucking dialysis, Tony, get off of him,”_ but Steve couldn’t bring himself to tear his hands away. When Tony finally pulled back from the kiss and was staring down at Steve, he realized they were both crying.

“The past six days, fourteen hours, and eight minutes have been the worst of my life and I survived three months in a goddamn cave, Rogers. I’ve become quite accustomed to you, you know, and I don’t care for this living without you nonsense,” Tony said with a smile.

“You gave me a home,” Steve whispered, as he reached up to cup Tony’s cheek.

“You gave me someone to believe in,” Tony whispered back. “I don’t know what’s more powerful.”

“Let’s find out,” Steve said, bringing Tony back down for a kiss.

_Thwack._

“No, you horny assholes,” Bruce said. “Mazel tov and many happy returns and Bucky will be thrilled he won the bet, but Steve is on dialysis for thirty more minutes so if you could restrain yourselves, that would be best.”

“A bet?” Steve said at the same time Tony said “only thirty?”

Bruce blinked a few times. “You two are the only people who know you who didn’t know you were in love with each other. There’s a pool going for, oh, three years? Bucky had this month, so he’ll win the kitty. And yes, keep your mitts off him for thirty more minutes, Stark, that’s all I’m asking.”

“Eighteen thousand, seventeen thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine, seventeen thousand, nine hundred and ninety-eight,” Tony muttered as he climbed off of Steve’s bed and settled himself into a chair.

“Are you honestly counting down?” Bruce was exasperated. He glanced at Steve. “You sure you want this?”

“More than anything,” Steve said sincerely.

Bruce rolled his eyes but smiled softly. “Then I’m happy for you, Cap.”

“Thanks, Bruce, I’m happy for me, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't want to tag this as MCD because it didn't happen in *any* universe, just in Steve's hallucination, but I know that was an author choice that some folks might disagree with, but spoiler: Steve thinks Tony turned into a zombie. He did not. Everything's fine. 
> 
> Find me on [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/betheflame1) or [Tumblr](http://betheflame.tumblr.com) for more on these yahoos. You can also submit prompts and cajole me into writing faster - it usually works. If you're on Discord, I'm definitely there, too, and probably hanging in the [Put on the Suit Stony Server. ](https://discord.gg/z5WSqbS)  
>   
> I can't reply to comments that often, or with any consistency, but know I read and cherish EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. Your kindness in responding to my story fuels my fluffy little soul. So thank you.
> 
> Oh! And FestiveFerret and I have a [fandom podcast](http://www.podonthesuit.com) if you're so inclined.  
>   
> 

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Eighteen Thousand - podfic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25815205) by [LenkaVittoriaElisse16](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LenkaVittoriaElisse16/pseuds/LenkaVittoriaElisse16)




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